What is Heli-Paragliding and
why is it so special...

Heli-Paragliding combines two great ways to fly into a unique and thrilling
experience of our wonderful Rocky Mountains.

For those that want to take a step beyond our normal Tandem Flight practice of launching from the drive-up site on Mount Seven, we offer the Helicopter booking and remote ridge access as an option. Altitude Adventures/Heli-Paragliding is ready to heli lift you to some
of the best spots off the beaten track in The Canadian Rockies. From these spots, our
guide/pilots will fly you back to the valley floor on a Tandem Paraglider.

But that's not all... Imagine the ancillary
possibilities of getting above tree line in the high rockies. Picnics, photography, wildlife viewing and more are all
on the agenda. Top it all off with unique and exciting flights to and
from your destination.! That's Heli-Paragliding!

The Helicopter...the ultimate mountain access machine:

Helicopters were first used in a mountain sport/recreational sense when
entrepreneurial mountain guides realized that the helicopter could quickly
and easily access some fantastic backcountry ski terrain. Furthermore,
with the development of turbine engines and extra passenger capacity at
mountain altitudes, the helicopter became the ideal ski lift for what
was to become the exclusive sport of Heli-skiing. An industry was born.
Later, the Heli-Ski operators began to realize that there was an increasing
demand to transport recreationalists to remote mountaintops during the
summer as well. It wasn't long before the Heli-Hiking industry took hold
just as strongly as the skiing variety.

The
Rocky Mountains offer some very special places for the adventurous
at heart. Many of these places are high above the timberline. They are
difficult, if not impossible, to access by all but experienced (and very
fit) mountaineers with a lot of time on their hands to make the arduous
approach hikes.

The helicopter changes the access rules completely.
Modern helicopters are able to transport a full load of passengers to
high altitudes within minutes in comfort and safety. They can land and
take off in very confined spaces and can even, if necessary, hover a foot
above the ground while passengers disembark. This versatility as a mountain
transport machine has made the helicopter the prime means of moving people
and equipment for those operating in the mountains, including the Park
Services who formerly had to move people and equipment by horse or on
foot.

Needless to say, the ride up to remote mountain ridges in a helicopter
is a scenic and exhilarating adventure. From inside the helicopter, you
experience a pleasant sensation of rising smoothly up the mountainsides
as though you were in elevator with windows but without the elevator shaft!
If you have never ridden in a helicopter, it is a truly fun way to fly.
Add big mountain and wildlife views and the experience becomes unforgettable.

Paragliders - the truly free form of flight:

Paragliding was born in the late '70s when some adventurous Europeans
decided to try to launch rectangular sky-diving canopies from mountainsides
and fly them to the valley bottoms. Needless to say some of the early
attempts were a bit sketchy and the launching and flying characteristics
of a parachute, rectangular or not, left a lot to be desired. Still, the
potential for a portable, inflatable wing could clearly be demonstrated
by these early attempts to glide a "soft" wing. In the ensuing
years, the elliptical wing shape was developed and enhanced. Performance
and handling characteristics of inflatable wings were explored and developed
and ultimately the paraglider came into existence as a viable flying machine.
Once elliptical paragliders began to be more widely adopted, the performance
and safety of these aircraft progressed swiftly with new and enhanced
designs appearing almost annually.

Today,
it could be argued that paragliders are truly "hi-tech" aircraft.
The wings are made of the latest synthetic materials and coatings. The
related aeronautical designs,engineering and construction are all well
advanced. The attachment lines are made of space age materials. The harness
seats have progressed from little more than adapted climbing harnesses
to very comfortable and purpose-specific designs that actually contribute
to the flying of the wing. Tandem paragliding (pilot and passenger) is
made possible by special paragliders built for the purpose complete with
specially designed harnesses to allow the Pilot and passenger to sit comfortably
during flight.

The power source for paragliding... The Town
of Golden is situated near the northern end of the Great Rocky Mountain
Trench - a geological marvel that just happens to make for incredible
thermals and ideal conditions for paragliding flight. For more than 20
years Golden has been the place in Canada to fly pargliders cross-country
in both solo and Tandem modes. During the summer of 2004, paragliding
flights of 220 kilometers were recorded with many paragliders now flying
over 100 kilometers in a single flight. As well, over the past several
years, many paraglider tandem flights over 100 kilometers have originated
in Golden.

Custom Heli-Paragliding Excursions - two great aircraft that work in tandem:

Contact Canadian Rockies Heli-Paragliding
to find out how you can "Get High" in Canada's Rocky Mountains.